Consumers wanting to surf on their tablets and smartphones have one more mobile broadband choice as M1 launches the country's first 4G prepaid data service.

The service targets mainly tourists and students, who may not want to subscribe to a two-year plan from any telco. This broadband service is accessible everywhere in Singapore except in MRT tunnels, where users will be automatically routed to its 3G network, said the telco.

4G networks have theoretical download speeds of up to 75Mbps, or about four times the speeds of 3G networks. Typical 4G download speeds range from 10.3Mbps to 21.6Mbps, said M1.

M1 charges $18 for a 4G prepaid data SIM card which comes with 1GB of local data, valid for 30 days or upon completion of the data bundle. Like any 3G prepaid data plan, the 4G prepaid card can be topped up via the M1 top-up card or a credit card.